Chasing the Wind
by marching red
Summary: At a young age, Sakura's only thoughts about Uchiha Shisui were that he was unbelievably fast and unlike any other Uchiha she ever encountered. Years later, an ominous shadow cast over Shisui rears its head, but Sakura is undeterred and still determined to figure him out. However, getting close couldn't be harder when the man could disappear like the wind. Just how will she do it?
1. The Odd Uchiha

This unusual pairing of Shisui and Sakura was inspired by a few one-shot stories I had stumbled across a few weeks before. After reading one, I just had to read more, and was soon convinced that this couple, while having risks, could work.

The first chapter was a bit difficult to write because it took ages until I was satisfied. Still, it was good fun to pick at my own writing and I'm feeling pretty motivated. If there are any thoughts or questions about this fic, I'd be delighted to hear them.

* * *

**Chasing the Wind**

Chapter 1  
_The Odd Uchiha_

* * *

Sakura was twelve when she noticed something of rather great importance.

There was an Uchiha unlike the others.

The first time she saw Uchiha Shisui, she had been on her way to the academy when he had flashed into the left of her vision, crouched on a low brick wall with black wind tousled hair, pale skin and Sharingan that had just swirled to onyx. He surveyed the area with a disinterested gaze, eyes locking with hers, and she imagined she saw a gleam of curiosity. For all her surprise, he didn't give her time to react as he winked and disappeared into thin air.

The entire ordeal was rather strange, more so because he was an _Uchiha _and he had _winked _at her_. _It was probably the first time her encounter with an Uchiha hadn't ended up with her being ignored or at the receiving end of a glare. Sakura was momentarily speechless and a bit red-faced, barely realising that Inner had also become uncharacteristically quiet.

And then she realised she had seen him other times before that incident, usually with Uchiha Itachi or alone and sitting high up on a tree branch. During those times, there had always been passing curiosity, but never to the extent of how much their encounter invoked.

While she really _did _hold Sasuke in high regard, she was…intrigued by Uchiha Shisui.

She entered class feeling somewhat perturbed, Ino nagging at her for not paying attention while she swooned over Sasuke.

"Hey Forehead…_Forehead! _Damn it Sakura, what's with–"

Sakura was saved from Ino's irritation when Naruto barrelled in with a tell-tale grin and an irate Iruka on his tail, and class started normally. However, whenever she glanced at Sasuke and the Uchiha traits in his pale skin and dark features, she would remember the strange Uchiha she had seen the day before.

_Great_, Sakura thought. She couldn't even look at her crush the same way she used to.

Inner Sakura lamented their loss alongside her.

She sighed as Naruto interrupted Iruka mid-lecture again and wondered just how the day would go. Judging by Ino's scrutinising stare that was burning a hole through her back, she would probably end up with her brain picked apart.

When classes ended for the day, Sakura did her best to outrun Ino and her questions and had luckily managed to escape sight. It was inevitable, but she wasn't feeling up for a confrontation anytime soon.

* * *

Target practice had been a bit of a nightmare. Iruka had noticed that her performance fell short of how she usually did and concernedly asked if she was feeling alright. Red in the cheeks and shame-faced, she assured Iruka that she wasn't having any issues at home or in class and that he needn't worry. When he was finally convinced and moved elsewhere, she caught the suspicious blue eyes of Ino but turned away. Sakura's kunai struck the target with more force that time.

She huffed tiredly as she leant against the trunk of a tall tree. Something blunt prodded her spine painfully and she jumped with a yelp. She spun around to glare at the offending kunai imbedded in the tree, coincidentally where she had chosen to rest, when quiet laughter made her pause.

The amused dark eyes of a lax figure watched her from atop a tree branch, a red and white fan prominent against the navy material of his shirt.

Sakura blinked in surprise and pointed an accusing finger. "Ah – it's _you_!"

Shisui blinked in return and pointed a finger at his face. "Who, me?"

Sakura scowled and had to remind herself that she was talking to an _Uchiha_ because he definitely acted the opposite to the stoic image she had crafted of the Uchiha clan in her mind. Truth be told, she found it more than slightly unnerving.

"What are you doing here?"

Shisui tilted his head and the upward quirk returned to his lips. "More like what are _you _doing here. I can't help but feel like you're following me."

Sakura twitched. Did he really think she was a stalker? Or a fangirl? She scoffed. There was absolutely _nobody _she bothered to pay that much attention to.

…Wait.

A mental image of Sasuke made her curse.

"What's your name?"

Sakura was flustered at the sudden question and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm Haruno Sakura."

"Uchiha Shisui." Sakura wanted to roll her eyes and tell him she already knew. It was hard to miss his name with him being one of the more well-known shinobi from the Uchiha clan.

Shisui stood gracefully, dusting off the legs of his pants, and Sakura mentally noted that he really was rather tall.

"Well Sakura, it's been interesting. Unfortunately, I have places to be and people to bug, so I'll take my leave."

Alarmed and feeling strangely desperate, Sakura stepped forward. "Wait! Will I see you around?"

Shisui raised a brow, amusement still clearly on display. "_If_ you can find me."

No leaves were stirred as he readjusted the tanto on his back before he blinked out of sight.

Sakura stared at where the Uchiha had previously stood and sighed again. She would get no peace of mind – that was for sure.

Instead of leaning against the tree or sitting on a branch like Shisui had done, she opted to plop down on soft green grass, her back against the trunk with her eyes closed and face tilted up to enjoy the picking breeze.

She absently noted that it had been her second encounter with Uchiha Shisui and the second time it had ended with him leaving her thinking.

"If_ you can find me." _

Her eyes shot wide open and she almost gaped with disbelief.

_No._ No way, that wasn't right. Had he offered her a challenge, or was he just…?

Maybe she was overthinking. Maybe it was just the heat getting to her. There was no way he recognised their differences in speed and skill and still offered a challenge testing exactly that.

Sakura slumped and let her head fall back against the sturdy trunk with a dull thud.

God, she was going crazy.

* * *

Sakura didn't glimpse Shisui around the village at all for the next few days and had given up in time for graduating students to be sorted into teams.

Being in the same team as Naruto and Sasuke was like running around like a headless chicken. There was always something to do, something to fix while they tried to find the right team dynamics. So far, and to Sakura's immense relief, things were becoming easier.

To her surprise, she didn't find being on the same team as her crush to be as exciting as she had previously imagined. It had to be because there was another Uchiha she was expending time on, hopelessly trying to figure out.

She would remember the expression on Sasuke's face the day she arrived at the bridge and greeted him almost casually with minimum fangirl enthusiasm. He had looked at her as if she wasn't sober.

"Um, Sakura-chan…are you feeling alright?" Naruto asked tentatively, eyes wide.

Sakura placed a hand on her hips and raised a brow at him. "I'm fine, Naruto. Besides, shouldn't I be asking you that? What about that burn on your arm from yesterday?"

Naruto flushed pink and scratched his head. "Yeah, that didn't exactly go–"

Kakashi suddenly appeared behind Naruto, greeting them with a lazy stare and his usual two fingered salute. "Sorry I'm late. You see, there was this old lady who wouldn't leave me alone until I helped her make tea and–"

"LIAR!"

Sakura stepped back and watched as Naruto spun around to loudly tell off Kakashi and Sasuke rolled his eyes at the ridiculous excuses.

Her team was loud, slightly chaotic and overall eccentric, but became closer each passing day and worked surprisingly well together. She knew she wouldn't trade away any of them.

* * *

It was a week later that Sakura interacted with Shisui for the third time. She was slowly becoming used to his abrupt appearances, and was only slightly surprised when she turned and found him leaning against the building ahead of her. She scowled at him and found enough energy to cross her arms.

"What, no 'welcome back'?" Shisui teased lightly.

Sakura faltered and pulled her brows together. "What?"

"I was on a mission in Kumogakure."

Sakura gave him her best flat expression.

Shisui didn't bat a lid, but only allowed a hint of a grin to play at his mouth. "More importantly, did you actually try to find me?"

Sakura reddened and jabbed a finger at him. "No, you didn't even make it clear if I was supposed to!"

"Only if you wanted to," Shisui supplied with a careless shrug.

Sakura was affronted. He had dismissed her suffering of an afternoon's paranoia just like that. It was ridiculous and completely unfair.

She narrowed her eyes. Just what kind of game was he playing?

"Really, I have to say I'm surprised."

Sakura barely managed to hold back a growl. "_What–"_

"You aren't nearly as…_warm _to Sasuke as I expected you to be. I heard you were a Sasuke fangirl in the academy." Shisui smiled innocently, but Sakura could see with perfect clarity how his eyes laughed at her.

She groaned and spun on her heel to leave.

It wasn't long before Shisui fell into step and she could practically feel his amusement radiate from him.

"There's nothing wrong with that, you know. I hear from girls all the time how handsome Sasuke is, and how much more when he's all grown up."

Sakura dug her heels in the ground and turned to glare up at dark eyes. "Alright, _what_ is it? _What_ do you want?"

She wasn't sure if she was imagining when she saw Shisui still and surprise flicker in wide eyes. However, all of that was forgotten when a minute smile tilted his lips.

"You're smart. You'll figure it out."

"_You'll figure it out."_

Wonderful, Shisui had just given her the mystery of the day.

Sakura threw her arms up exasperatedly and stomped away, grumbling under her breath. To her displeasure, she heard Shisui's merry parting of 'Tell me when you figure it out!' which only further irked her.

Damned Uchiha.


	2. Bright Days

So, so, _so _sorry for this horribly late update. I swear I have my excuses, but right now, I'm just glad to be able to get this up. This chapter is quite slow as it focuses a more on Sakura and the people around her six years since the start of Team Seven. Its purpose is to show the changes in Sakura's character and how she relates to those around her now that she's more mature.

_In response to a question I received via review:_ I don't believe Shisui's age is disclosed in canon, but I always thought (and as I found some others did too with a little research) that his age was close to Itachi's. However, I do like to think Shisui would've been older than Itachi as his maturity was established when he spoke to Itachi about peace, sacrifice, etc. and due to his defining moments before his death. Therefore, I decided that Shisui would be older than Itachi at the age of eighteen, while Sakura is twelve.

However, that was only for the first chapter. As of this chapter, Sakura is eighteen while Shisui is about twenty-four.

**Disclaimer:** I don't have ownership of Naruto.

* * *

**Chasing the Wind**

Chapter 2_  
Bright Days  
_

* * *

One sunny, productive afternoon saw Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke in a showdown. They eyed their opponents, sizing each other up and steadying their hands. Tension ran high in thick silence as breathing was muted and movement was null. They waited, gauged.

A twitch of somebody's fingers and all eyes snapped to scrutinise the movement.

Sasuke had been reluctant to join, but it was obvious his competitive streak had flared after he had kept his eyes fixed on them during the first round and had demanded a position in the second.

Naruto splayed his cards on the table with a flourish and a wicked grin. "Eat my _dust_! It's a royal flush, baby!"

Sakura exhaled sharply and threw down her cards as Naruto whooped loudly. Sighing, she tasted defeat alongside resignation. Six years and she still couldn't figure out where Naruto got his outrageously good luck from. It must be genetics. That or some strange voodoo jutsu he had going on.

"Just let it go, Sakura. It's a mystery Naruto hasn't gone into actual gambling. That would be a complete disaster," Sasuke said flatly.

Sakura chuckled. It was clear Sasuke also felt cheated.

They sat on the concrete of training ground seven, surrounded by an edge of trees and battered soil with other signs of training in the much used area. Every free day the three of them shared was scheduled in, and on the day they would take turns bringing cards and the sealing scroll that withheld an unwanted, small low table Tsunade had attempted to murder Naruto with when he hid her sake for the umpteenth time.

The difficult part about the arrangement was finding the time without their duties getting in the way. Still, card playing had become a very welcome catch-up activity and traditional pastime of sorts for Team Seven.

"Hey, I wonder what Kakashi-sensei is doing." Naruto leaned back on his hands and looked up at the clear sky as if it would give him the answer.

Sasuke snorted derisively. "Probably reading porn."

"_Eh_, you think so?"

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a wry look. "Isn't he always?"

Naruto scrunched his nose. "But how boring. It's such a nice day too."

"Only because he's not here to beat you to the ground," Sasuke drawled with amusement.

"_Ha!_ He'd beat you too, you stuck up–"

Sakura sighed and resigned to watching her two friends squabble about another trivial thing. Or rather, Naruto throwing accusations and Sasuke allowing them to slide past harmlessly with an occasional provoking reply. She jumped at the sudden tingle at her wrist and sighed dejectedly.

"Sakura?"

She picked up her gloves and stood to smile apologetically at their curious expressions. "Sorry but I gotta go. I'll be late for my shift if I don't leave now."

Naruto's bright eyes darkened as he lowered his gaze to study the wood grains of the table. Sakura could understand why he was disheartened; it was one of the rare days that the members of Team Seven were able to gather and spend time together. They were divided by ANBU missions and the hospital and could never seem to catch a break.

She expected Naruto's usual plea for her to stay longer; surprisingly, it was Sasuke who stopped her.

"When is your next empty day on the roster?"

Sakura blinked and looked heavenward. "I'm not sure actually, but as soon as I check, I'll get back to you guys."

Naruto regarded her with concern in solemn eyes. "You've been on roster for an especially long period of time nowadays, Sakura-chan. Shouldn't you take a break?"

A burst of dark indignation swept through Sakura, but she pushed the silly feeling aside to respond to his concern with fondness.

"Says the ANBU who _delights _in taking missions for three days straight. Fix your own masochistic tendencies before you question mine, Naruto."

"He's the worst," Sasuke added in his aloof matter-of-fact tone.

Naruto looked thoroughly affronted by the double teaming that was pitted against him. "Well, _actually, _I heard that a Jounin once–"

"As I said, the _worst._"

"You're not any better!"

Sakura watched the amusing scene play out before her. If anyone could brighten up her day, it would be her boys.

* * *

The Yamanaka flower shop was like a second home to her. Sakura could clearly recall all those times when she and Ino had gone straight there after the academy had finished for the day. Ino would enthusiastically point out the vast types of flowers on display, but she would only be half-listening, caught up in the vivid colours and long stems of the flora.

The bells above the door jingled pleasantly as she stepped inside. Blinking, she looked past the counter where muffled curses sounded. Ino jumped up a second latter, blonde hair slightly messed, and slapped down some coloured wrapping paper on the counter with a huff.

"Bad day?"

Ino exhaled noisily and flicked some blonde strands over her shoulder. "You could say that," she muttered darkly. Shaking her head, her usual friendly smile returned. "But whatever. What're you looking for?"

Sakura blinked, turning to look at the vast flowers littering the store. "I'm not sure actually. I'll have a look around a bit."

Ino looked at her curiously but shrugged it off. "Alright, sure. If you need me, I'll just be here." She ducked under the counter again to fiddle with more materials, her agitated mumbles filling the background once more.

Shaking her head, Sakura bent over to examine some bright petals of a flower, humming thoughtfully. Nodding to herself, she plucked a few and brought them to the counter. When Ino jumped up again, she perked at the sight of the lilies.

"_So_…_"_

Sakura took in her best friend's raised brow and tilted lips carefully. "So?"

"_So, _who are these for?"

Sakura scowled and handed the due amount over the counter. "Just a friend, Ino. Don't get too excited, okay?"

With a roll of her eyes, her best friend expertly wrapped the bundle of flowers in pretty purple paper and tied everything together with a length of ribbon. "Forehead, you know you're asking for the impossible."

"Yeah, I know, Pig."

Awkwardly clutching the big bouquet in one hand and trying to unzip her bag to put her change in with the other, Sakura couldn't help the warm smile at the old nicknames. She left the shop with a backward wave and soft laughter ringing behind her.

The ground disappeared beneath her feet as she kicked up on to the rooftops and hopped towards the academy.

Her previous mission assigned by Tsunade had been to direct a workshop to academy students about shinobi on the battlefield and how to handle various situations. It had surprised her at first, but Tsunade had explained it was a new addition to the recent academy curriculum overhaul, and wanted to see the results.

She had been intercepted by Iruka at the end of the day, with him congratulating her on a job well done. They had made small talk and, at the end, had promised to catch up with friendly conversation more frequently.

Sakura really did feel sorry for Iruka sometimes. Don't you get tired of all the high energy every day? She had said to him. Iruka only laughed and told her he was a firm believer in the future generations. So while he encouraged others with his belief, she would encourage him with hers.

Blinking away a ray of sunlight, she halted at the gates and looked up. While it was late afternoon, the sun was still high, and the sky clear. She inhaled the pleasant smell of wood and smoke. Konoha had always been alive in every aspect.

She ducked inside the building, walking down and turning hallways, towards Iruka's chakra signature. And as she looked into classrooms, up at bland ceiling and even out the big glass windows that lined the wall, she was hit with a sense of nostalgia. It hadn't been that long since she'd revisited, but it still ached a bit when she realised she was retracing the steps of her academy-days self.

She found Iruka in an empty classroom, rubbing down the blackboard. Seconds later, the man looked up and grinned.

"Ah, well if it isn't Sakura! What brings you here?"

"What, I can't say hello, Iruka-sensei?" Sakura smiled and held out the bouquet, relieved that the lilies hadn't snapped off the stems like the last time she delivered someone flowers.

Iruka blinked at the flowers before accepting them with a laugh. "Thank you, Sakura, that's kind of you. And who ever said that?"

Sakura shook her head with amusement. "Definitely not you. So, how was your day?"

Unsurprisingly, Iruka grimaced. "Pretty terrible."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. There's this kid in my class who's a downright troublemaker. He's always pulling pranks all the time. Just today he set off some smoke bombs and scared some of the younger kids." Iruka twitched, pressing his fingers at his temples.

Sakura covered her laughter with coughing. "He sounds just like Naruto."

The agitation on his face softened. "Yeah…" he sighed. "I miss you guys, you know, especially Naruto. It's a bit strange, seeing you all grown up. How quickly time has passed…"

Sakura couldn't help the slight aching in her chest as wistfulness clouded over his expression. "Don't be like that, sensei. As Gai-sensei says, 'embrace your inner youth!'"

Iruka made a face. "Did you have to, Sakura?"

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Sorry."

Iruka waved it off, though she thought she could still see traces of disgust. "So how's the team nowadays?" Iruka said with a fond smile.

Sakura mirrored his light smile. "They're fine. The same, really," here, she rolled her eyes, prompting a chuckle from the man. "We're still trying to keep up to date with each other. But I swear it's getting harder."

Iruka smiled gently with empathy. "It always does. But don't you three ever give up. I'm sure you've all figured out by now that friendships should always be cherished."

Sakura searched the reliable face of her academy teacher and friend, and nodded, a slow-forming grin stretching across her face.

* * *

"…And _for god sake, _actually remember to come by the hospital when you need help."

Naruto opened his mouth, but Sakura cut him off.

"That includes when you're cut, bloodied, injured, in any form of pain that might not even be physical, and," Sakura looked at Sasuke pointedly "–even if your arms have second degree burns."

Naruto snorted with laughter whereas Sasuke only looked dubious.

"Hey, hey, remember what that nurse said to you when she saw that? She was like, 'Oh my _god, _how did you end up with those amazing, _sizzling_–"

"_Shut up!_" Sasuke twitched uncontrollably, looking more pale than usual.

Sakura couldn't hold back her laughter, but offered a very poor sympathetic look. "Former fangirl?"

Naruto grinned. "Totally and unashamedly. She made my week!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his small shiver of disgust.

"Right, right." Sakura shook her head. "Should we be going now?"

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a look and looked up at the sky simultaneously. Seeing this, Sakura couldn't stop that twinge of envy inside of her.

She had fallen out of her crush on Sasuke the day she realised there really was no interest that went deeper than friendship, leaving a strong protectiveness and close companionship. With Naruto, there had been initial dislike for his loud speech and brashness, but she had slowly come to realise that his exterior really was only just an exterior, and inside lay a victimised boy who deserved more love than he received.

As the years passed and Team Seven clawed their way up the ranks, something had become clear to Sakura. As much as she knew she loved Naruto and Sasuke, and they loved her, she knew she wouldn't ever be what Naruto was to Sasuke or what Sasuke was to Naruto. They had a special bond born out of rivalry and unlikely friendship from their earlier years that had eluded her. Nonetheless, Sakura was grateful their friendship had remained intact after years of so much that tested them.

Kakashi's hilarious icebreakers had also helped quite a bit.

"We may as well. It looks about time," Sasuke replied, sounding none too happy.

"Lighten up, you rock! There's nothing better than eating good food with friends," Naruto said.

Indeed, Naruto's enthusiasm had led them to the front of Yakiniku Q in less than five minutes.

Sakura slid open the door and poked her head inside to scan for company. She glanced behind to see Naruto all but grinning with anticipation of food, and a disgruntled Sasuke. She almost laughed outright at his resigned expression. The Uchiha still resented social gatherings in general, as made known at their first when the rookie nine was thirteen years old. The atmosphere had been much heavier than usual.

"Hey Sakura! Over here!"

Sakura turned to see the rest of the rookie nine as well as Neji, Tenten and Lee sitting at a big table by a corner, with meat already on the grill.

"Eh? You guys didn't wait for us?" Naruto said as they took the remaining seats, wearing a scandalised expression.

"Well it turned out that the rest of us turned up early because we were hungry," Shikamaru supplied, staring at the meat almost dazedly. Chouji nodded solemnly. Ino rolled her eyes.

With everyone present, food was quickly served. They laughed and reminisced about their genin days that seemed like yesterday but, at the same time, so impossibly long ago. However, the good mood quickly dissipated and became sombre when the topic of the Chunin Exam was visited.

"Alright, alright, listen everyone," Tenten paused to swallow her food, "it's time for some entertainment!"

There were a few loud whoops, but most just sported a curious expression. Chouji, however, carried on eating and Sakura wasn't sure if he was even paying attention.

"Oh yeah? What kind of entertainment?" Naruto grinned. Sasuke was quick to reach over and smacked him upside the head.

Tenten's grin sharpened unexpectedly. "Why, nothing but _truth or dare." _

"…That's lame."

"You're lame!"

In the end, they decided to use a spinning kunai as a pointer. There were some complaints about the reliability of the weapon and at one point, someone had encouraged using a jutsu instead. Tenten, of course, had been offended at the questioning of her sharp kunai and had insisted until she won the battle.

A few moments later, all eyes were trained on the glinting metal as it spun and gradually lost its speed.

"Alright, _Tenten,_" Ino said with a smirk as the kunai landed on the brunette. She scrutinised her and Neji, noting the distance between their bodies and beginning to calculate things rapidly as only a dedicated gossiper could. "Are you and Neji dating?"

More than a few jaws dropped. Shikamaru, however, remained nonchalant.

Tenten's eyes widened. "You…"

"And if we are?" Neji said coolly. Tenten tensed.

Ino raised her palms in surrender, although a sly grin stretched her face. "Whoa, whoa, alright. I was just wondering. You guys are _cute_."

Sakura chuckled as Shikamaru leaned over and whispered something to Ino that made her bristle. She wasn't able to hear what he said, however, amongst all the congratulations and hands clapping the back of an agitated Neji.

Just then, a familiar thrum of chakra caused her to still and look down at the outline of the kanji on her wrist glowing faintly. Chatter at her table ceased as she shot to her feet, her chopsticks slipping from her grasp to the floor.

"Sakura?"

She didn't know whose wide, cerulean eyes she met, but they reminded her to calm down. She readjusted her hitai-ate on top of her head and bowed her head in apology. "Sorry guys, but I gotta run. It's an emergency!"

"Wait Sakura, what about–"

"I'll make it up to you guys later. My treat!"

A flash of pink and then she was gone.

* * *

Something was very wrong. Sakura could count the number of times Tsunade had summoned for her in cases of emergency on one hand. When Tsunade didn't fully believe the messenger would successfully relay her message. However, those incidences had occurred in times of war or other events that had caused a great relapse in shinobi numbers. She shook her head. This time, she really had no clue what was happening.

She felt bad for ruining the social gathering with such a hasty departure, but she knew it was definitely not a good time to guilt herself further. Nimbly, she leapt on to the roof of the hospital and slipped inside the open window of Tsunade's office.

She flashed in front of Tsunade. "Tsunade-shisou."

Brown eyes regarded her seriously. "Sakura, I'm glad you arrived so quickly. I need you to take care of something…no, _someone,_ while I handle the council."

Sakura frowned and was about to question Tsunade, but the woman's steely gaze and stiff shoulders changed her mind. "Understood. Which room are they in?"

"I'll take you to them, actually." With that, Tsunade turned and started to briskly walk towards the door. Sakura was surprised again, but followed compliantly, more curious than anything at this point.

Tsunade slid open a white door that had an intricate seal placed on the centre. Sakura narrowed her eyes. They were in one of the restricted rooms for special cases. Her eyes briefly took in the large window with the curtains drawn before they honed in on a still figure on the bed.

"There has been another attempt to obtain Sharingan."

Sakura's eyes widened and snapped to Tsunade. However, brown eyes remained fixed on the figure. Her voice was flat and almost uncaring, but the years under her tutelage had taught Sakura that it was only used to disguise her true feelings.

"I sent him out of the village for a mission that was supposed to be long-term nearly two weeks ago, but a few of our returning shinobi found him today and I summoned you straight after he was brought in. We don't know if the attacker was successful, however. But we do know he or she is powerful. The shinobi of the Uchiha clan are undoubtedly strong, some even geniuses, and to leave one in such a state is…"

For the first time in a long while, Sakura felt a chill of fear climb up her spine.

Tsunade grit her teeth. "To inflict so much damage and then just leave him in plain sight…are they asking for war?" She exhaled heavily. "Just do whatever you can, Sakura. Look for anything that could solve this goddamn mystery. You've surpassed me for quite a while now. Right now, I need to deal with the Uchiha clan amongst other things."

Sakura didn't hear her leave. All she could focus on was the man. Taking careful steps forward, Sakura stopped inches from the bed.

He looked so weak. He was all darkness against the white sheets and the bland walls. Sakura didn't understand the sudden impulse to be particularly wary, but she listened anyway, having survived numerous times on missions by doing so.

She scrutinised his paper white face and the inky black spikes of his hair. He had a prominent jaw line and, even when his eyes were closed, she could tell that they were almost feline in shape and framed with long, dark lashes. There was just _something_ about him that rang familiar.

Suddenly her breath caught. Looking down at the person, Sakura felt her blood run cold.

It could only be one man.


End file.
